MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

In the winding passages of a labyrinth, Lauren meets her untimely death by nail gun, pulling Detective Winston into a complex maze of lies and danger where Rose and Aubrey become his primary suspects.


Winston was feeling the pressure as he approached Aubrey's home located adjacent to her business site. He had known her for a while in the professional world - She was a respected, even renowned, contractor. Every evening, after an exhausting day at work, it was a common sight to see Aubrey trudging home, her hands loaded with tools from a difficult day of managing construction projects. Among all the tools, the heavy-duty nail guns were a constant companion. Aubrey was always working on projects that involved a lot of nailing, such as erecting wooden framings or installing roofing and siding. 

"Detective Winston," Aubrey greeted him from the porch, clasping her hands stained with a year's worth of construction grime, "What brings you to my neck of the woods?" 

Winston cleared his throat as he glanced at the construction tools visibly scattered around her house. Nail guns, power saws - everything you would find in a contractor's toolkit. As a person who often worked on structures from scratch, nail guns were typically a requirement due to their versatility. 

"Got a moment?" Winston asked, trying to keep the gravity out of his voice. Aubrey agreed and led him to her home office, which interestingly, was doubling as a toolshed. He once again couldn't help but notice a few nail guns among the equipment at her home. A professional necessity or a personal preference, he wondered. 

"It's about Lauren," Winston began. Aubrey's face stiffened. "We found confidential documents at her house. Seems she was planning something... something that involved your company."

Aubrey looked surprised momentarily, but then her face settled into a serious expression. She admitted to overhearing a conversation between Lauren and McDowell, her rival, confirming Winston's suspicions. 

Aubrey's company was known for creating unique structures, like the complex labyrinth where Lauren was found dead. Aubrey had designed and supervised its construction. And since it was situated within her business property, Aubrey always maintained full access to it. However, much to Winston's surprise, the labyrinth had no public blueprints or maps, as Aubrey preferred to keep it unique. 

As Winston left Aubrey's home, he knew he still had a lot of facts to untangle, not least of which was Lauren's apparent attempt to betray Aubrey's trust by selling confidential business secrets to a competitor. But with Aubrey's insights, he was ready to dig deeper into the nuanced maze of Lauren's mysterious death.

Winston sat in silence at the edge of the chaotic crime scene, the labyrinth had become a monstrous cavity of mystery, with its winding tunnels and disorienting dead ends. What had happened to Lauren was no less perplexing, and one name kept echoing through the investigators' speculation: Rose.

Rose, known for her impeccable memory and experience in acting, was a prominent figure in this tightly wound community. She was always present at functions and events, as noted at the most recent meeting, a gathering Winston had attended himself not too long ago.

Not everyone was gentle with their words that day, Winston knew too well. Lauren, the deceased, had thrown around a few insults, Rose being one of her victims. She had been called a loser in front of the whole gathering. Rose came from a gang where respect was paramount, and such humiliation did not sit light on her shoulders, but she had somehow managed to remain unnoticed in the labyrinth later.

Something caught Winston's interest – Rose's fondness for movies with intense, dramatic scenes. Late at night, from her room's closed door, her family often heard the telltale sound of violent movies emanating. The detective filed that away, nodding as he considered the implications.

Rose worked in construction, where reading blueprints was second nature, and interestingly, the blueprint of the labyrinth was accessible at her workplace. Winston noted this with a measure of unsettled interest. After dinner, Rose would often retreat to her room and stay locked in.

As he reviewed these facts, Winston could already feel the pressure building, and the all-consuming labyrinth of the case looming before him, his mind working tirelessly to map out where his next steps would take him.

choices

• Rose
• Aubrey